Waianae High School junior Noa “Bubba” Pu‘u, son of lifeguard and waterman Mel Pu‘u and grandson of renowned surfer Buffalo Keaulana, took home the Duke Lifesaver Award on Wednesday night, continuing his family’s legacy in and out of the ocean.
Bubba Pu‘u was one of 41 statewide high school athletes honored by the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation at Duke’s Night, which recognizes youth who “reaffirmed the community’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of island leaders,” according to a news release.
Honolulu Ocean Safety Director Kurt Lager presented the 2025 Duke Lifesaver Award to Pu‘u, 16, who has already conducted numerous ocean rescues, the release said.
Last summer, Bubba rescued a Japanese couple after he and his father saw a strong current pull the tourists out to sea while en route to Makaha Beach.
Lager said in an honorary speech that “without hesitation, at his father’s alert, Bubba leapt from their still-moving truck, sprinted down the beach, grabbed a lifeguard rescue board and paddled directly into the rip current,” where he pulled up the Japanese woman in one sweep before assisting her partner.
“Bubba’s quick thinking and decisive action undoubtedly saved lives that day,” Lager said.
Lager added that Pu‘u is “a true embodiment of the Hawaiian waterman tradition,” following in the footsteps of his father, Mel Pu‘u of the educational, cultural and water safety-oriented Mauka and Makai Foundation, and grandfather Buffalo Keaulana and uncle Brian Keaulana, both of whom are Hawaii Waterman Hall of Fame inductees.
“Every day, you’ll find Bubba at his home break, Makaha Beach, practicing every form of wave riding — longboard, shortboard, bully board, soft top, boogie board, canoe surf, standup, paipo board and tandem,” Lager said. “Beyond surfing, he connects deeply with the ocean through spearfishing, throwing net and rod-and-reel fishing. This isn’t just recreation — it’s a continuation of a proud legacy.”
Pu‘u plans to become a Honolulu Ocean Safety lifeguard after graduating from high school, fulfilling his goal of becoming a lifeguard since he was a child, according to Lager’s speech.
Pu‘u was just 8 when he completed his first junior lifeguard training, and by 12 he became a junior lifeguard instructor with his family’s Mauka to Makai Makaha Foundation, “where he teaches lifesaving skills, ocean awareness and helps keiki build confidence in the water,” Lager said.
At 14, Pu‘u became the youngest person ever to work water safety at the 2023 Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational. In the 2024 competition, Lager said, Bubba and Mel Pu‘u served on the Hawaiian Water Patrol Rescue Crew, Mel operating a rescue jet ski and Bubba serving as the rescue grabber, assisting competitors in between 40- to 50-foot sets of monstrous surf.
Among the 41 honorees was standout Chalei Reid, a Kahuku High School senior volleyball player, who received the Duke Award and a $12,000 scholarship for “(exemplifying) the character and values of Duke Kahanamoku.”
Reid was named ScoringLive’s OIA East Player of the Year in 2022 and earned OIA East first Team honors in 2022 and 2024.
In her free time, Reid organizes beach cleanups, leads school supply drives for a school in Tonga and hosts free volleyball clinics in American Samoa, according to a news release.
The five other 2025 Duke Award Finalists also received scholarships, including Punahou senior paddler William Ancheta, Punahou’s volleyball senior Kahealani Moriwaki, Punahou’s senior water polo goalkeeper Reia Kimi, Le Jardin senior water polo athlete and swimmer Siena Settle and Island School’s senior paddler
Jude Washburn.
